Signs for STORY

"How do you sign 'story' in American Sign Language?"

Definition: a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader; tale.

Variation.

Vocabulary

Similar signs: ANECDOTE, FABLE, TALE, NARRATIVE, HISTORY.

Related signs: STORYTELLING, STORY, PLOT, CHARACTER.

Phrases of 'story'

Meaning: short story; a fully developed piece of story but shorter than a novel.

ASL storytelling

There are many fun stories and some poems on this site. Because classifiers are rich in sign language stories, the best way to learn classifiers for ASL language learners is through stories and poems.

Storytelling is great for children to develop early language acquisition and literacy skills. That means signing a story to deaf and hard-of-hearing children, too. It promotes early language development and literacy regardless of languages (and modalities).

Usage/Grammar

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Written ASL

[Note: ASL writing is not an official standard. This sign language writing remains in a state of open space to allow room for experiment, evolution, and improvement.]

ASL writing for STORY

Written ASL word contributed by ASLwrite community.

~~ Feeling lucky? ¯\(°_o)/¯ Random word ~~

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Search Tips and Pointers

Search/Filter: Enter a keyword in the filter/search box to see a list of available words with the "All" selection. Click on the page number if needed. Click on the blue link to look up the word. For best result, enter a partial word to see variations of the word.

Screenshot of dictionary search with notes — Screenshot of the search dictionary

Alphabetical letters: It's useful for 1) a single-letter word (such as A, B, etc.) and 2) very short words (e.g. "to", "he", etc.) to narrow down the words and pages in the list.

For best result, enter a short word in the search box, then select the alphetical letter (and page number if needed), and click on the blue link.

Screenshot of dictionary search with notes — Screenshot of the search dictionary

Don't forget to click "All" back when you search another word with a different initial letter.

If you cannot find (perhaps overlook) a word but you can still see a list of links, then keep looking until the links disappear! Sharpening your eye or maybe refine your alphabetical index skill. :)

Add a Word: This dictionary is not exhaustive; ASL signs are constantly added to the dictionary. If you don't find a word/sign, you can send your request (only if a single link doesn't show in the result).

Videos: The first video may be NOT the answer you're looking for. There are several signs for different meanings, contexts, and/or variations. Browsing all the way down to the next search box is highly recommended.

Video speed: Signing too fast in the videos? See HELP in the footer.

ASL has its own grammar and structure in sentences that works differently from English. For plurals, verb inflections, word order, etc., learn grammar in the "ASL Learn" section. For search in the dictionary, use the present-time verbs and base words. If you look for "said", look up the word "say". Likewise, if you look for an adjective word, try the noun or vice versa. E.g. The ASL signs for French and France are the same. If you look for a plural word, use a singular word.